Mediators are trying to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel
and Hamas.
Israel says if the group rejects its latest offer,
it'll go ahead with a ground invasion of Rafah,
where more than one and a half million Palestinians are
sheltering.
Let's cross over to East occupied E Jerusalem.
Bernard Smith is standing by for us there.
Bernard, where are these ceasefire talks right now?
So, hell, we know that Hamas has said it will
send a delegation to Cairo on Monday,
and that delegation will discuss the ceasefire proposal.
It was presented by Qatar and Egypt,
as well as Israel's response.
And we know that Hamas said on Friday that it
received Israel's response to the ceasefire proposal and was studying
it.
Since then, Hamas has released videos showing proof of life
of three of the captives in the last few days,
stepping up the pressure on the Israeli government headed by
Benjamin Netanyahu.
But we know that previous ceasefire talks have floundered because
of the failure to bridge the gap between the two
sides.
That gap being that Hamas is insisting on an end
to the war and a withdrawal of Israeli forces from
Gaza.
And Israel only ever been offering a temporary ceasefire in
return for the release of about
130 odd captives and more humanitarian aid getting in to
Gaza.
Israel refusing to fully withdraw because it hasn't yet achieved
its objectives,
according to Benjamin Netanyahu. And that is the destruction of
Hamas,
the destruction of its ability to attack Israel.
So while the Israeli government might be trying to put
pressure on the Palestinians,
the Israeli government itself is under pressure,
not just from the US and various global capitals,
trying to make sure that it doesn't go into Rafah,
but also pressure from another direction within the Israeli cabinet
itself.
Prime Minister Netanyahu really does have his hands full.
Yeah. Well, he's under enormous pressure from different sides of
his cabinet,
really from the far right.
We've had Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister,
saying that if Netanyahu agrees to Egypt's proposals,
that would constitute A humiliating defeat.
We, though, don't know what those Egyptian proposals are.
And also it's Mar Ben Gavir,
another far right minister, saying that if Netanyahu agrees to
whatever these proposals are,
it would lead to the dissolution of the government.
But then from a member of his war cabin at
the centre,
right, Benny Ganz. He says an invasion or
an operation in Rafah is important,
but the return of hostages is more important.
There have been regular protests in Israel against Netanyahu,
accusing him of prolonging the war,
because if he ends the war,
then that will lead to elections ultimately and his own
reckoning at the ballot box.
So accusations he's prolonging the war and not considering the
hostages,
while there's enormous pressure from the far right to go
into Rafa regardless of what might happen to those hostages.
Bernard Smith there for us in occupied E Jerusalem.
Thank you.